This invention relates generally to devices for videotaping movable objects and, more particularly, to a tripod device and system for videotaping children at parties or family gatherings according to user selected modes.
Videotaping children at family or birthday gatherings and celebrations is a popular and desirable way to preserve such events for later viewing and enjoyment. However, such videotaping prevents the person operating the camera from fully enjoying the live event and often results in confusing or hurried movement between persons who are the subject of the taping. This may result in some children being neglected from taping while others are repeatedly recorded.
Various devices and systems have been proposed in the art for automatically tracking the position of a movable object so that a video camera can continuously capture a movable object. While assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices and systems do not allow a user to select from multiple modes of operation, do not provide for the wearer of an interactive pendant to override a previously selected mode, and do not provide a visual indicator of which pendant (associated with a movable object) is the current taping target.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a tripod-mounted device that enables multiple children or other attendees of a gathering to be tracked and videotaped selectively, sequentially, as a group, or according to other modalities. Further, it would be desirable to have a device and system having a user interface for selecting taping modes. In addition, it would desirable to have multiple pendants to be worn by “taping targets” that indicate when target is the subject of taping and which allow that target to override a previously selected taping mode.